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June 4, 2011

Three Things

1. Folsom Sprint Triathlon

A while back I signed up for Active.com's Schwaggle, which is basically like Groupon and offers deals and discounts on races, classes, products, etc. Once in a while I'll check out the weekly email, but never really saw anything I just couldn't pass up. Then this past week the deal was for 50% off (from $90 to $45) a local sprint triathlon this summer - so feeling a little impulsive, I signed up! The race is the Folsom Sprint Triathlon in mid-August, nearly a month after my 70.3. After the half iron I'll be switching back to mostly running as I start training for the Chicago Marathon, but I plan to still swim and ride once or twice a week as cross training so I'm not totally rusty for this race. I would like to actually race this one, especially since it's short and I'll be coming off a pretty high volume (at least for me) triathlon training cycle. And I'm hoping that after completing a half Ironman a sprint tri will feel like a walk in the park : ) I convinced a coworker to do it as well (as her first tri!) so it should at least be fun!

2. Half Dome

Like many, I love to travel. I actually spent 6 months during college living and traveling throughout Europe, and yet I've realized that there's still so much of my own country, and even my own state, that I have yet to see! Several National Parks are on my must-visit list, with nearby Yosemite at the top. I don't know how it's possible that I've never been there, especially since it's so close, but I decided that this was the going to be the year! My coworker has never been either, so we're making a trip out of it, with the highlight being climbing the famous Half Dome. Half of me is totally exhilarated by the thought, while the other is afraid of plunging to my death : / Permits are now required to climb Half Dome, and every single day this summer was already reserved, so we got on the website the minute it opened for September and reserved ours for the 21st. Can't wait!!

3. Alaska

I don't think I've mentioned it on here yet, but next month I'll be heading to Alaska on a cruise! My parents have been talking about taking this trip forever, and lucky for me I get to tag along : ) We'll be sailing along the inside passage, starting in Seattle, and stopping in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria (Can). I'm super excited to have a relaxing week, experience a new culture, see some awesome wildlife and stunning views, and spend some quality time with my folks. We've picked out our shore excursions (a helicopter ride to a glacier to name one!) and in less than one month we'll be setting sail! For those of you who pay attention to detail, yes, this does fall before my 70.3 triathlon. Luckily, it's towards the end of my training and I'll be in taper mode, but I don't plan to take the week off entirely. Hopefully I can make use of the onboard gym and fit a little treadmill running and stationary cycling in between all the fun!

I've been to Yosemite once but didn't climb Half Dome, just looked at it from the bottom. :) I bet it will be amazing. And Alaska sounds great as well! It's definitely on my list of places to visit someday.

While I am too chicken to attempt Half Dome, I do have a visit to Yosemite on my wish list.

I went on an Alaskan cruise with my parents when I was a kid and LOVED it. I definitely want to do it again. I've been eyeballing that running Alaskan cruise but not sure when I'll make it happen. I LOOOOVE smoked salmon and I used to order three plates of it on the cruise when I was 9!